Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantoneseyīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
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Noun
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle reportedly made 1.7 billion yen in its first day of release, passing up Mugen Train’s 1.2 billion yen record at the Japanese box office before this.—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025 Yet Yoshii, though now hundreds of thousands of yen richer, barely cracks a smile.—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2025 As a result, the exchange rate in places that use the euro, against which the dollar fell 13 percent over the time period, or the Japanese yen, against which the dollar dropped 6 percent, does not favor American spenders, The Wall Street Journal reported.—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 14 July 2025 Those on board were offered 15,000 yen ($93) in transportation compensation and provided one night of accommodation, AP reported, citing passengers.—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for yen
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Japanese en
Noun (2)
obsolete English argot yen-yen craving for opium, from Chin (Guangdong) yīn-yáhn, from yīn opium + yáhn craving
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